With the delightful chaos of stock car racing in the wet city streets providing a wild race in Chicago complete, the NASCAR Cup Series has reached the season’s halfway point. Three-time Supercars Championship winner Shane van Gisbergen emerged through the chaos and literal traffic jam in Chicago, pushing the pace as the race was nearing the end and sprinting off to the win in overtime.
Van Gisbergen won on his circuit-specific NASCAR debut and won’t be featured in our NASCAR rankings. However, a familiar cast of characters and Insidersbettingdigest’s betting favorites take central focus in our NASCAR Power Rankings, with a focus on who will emerge as the 2023 Cup Series Champion.
NASCAR Cup Series: Odds to Win the NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Here are the current NASCAR odds to win the Cup Series Championship.
Driver (Team) | Odds |
Martin Truex Jr. (Joe Gibbs Racing) | +700 |
William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports) | +700 |
Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing) | +850 |
Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing) | +1000 |
Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing) | +1000 |
Next NASCAR Cup Series: Quaker State 400 Race Information
Race: NASCAR Cup Series: Quaker State 400 – 260 Laps (400.4 mi | 644.244 km)
Stage 1: 60 Laps | Stage 2 & 3: 100 Laps.
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia
Date and Time: Sunday, July 9th, 2023, 7:00 PM ET
How to Watch: USA | Peacock | NASCAR Live
NASCAR Cup Series: Power Rankings Honorable Mentions
While we can’t focus on every driver in our NASCAR Power Rankings, we’ve isolated two as honorable mentions for their seasons.
Chase Elliott/Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports
Fan favorite Chase Elliott is always among many people’s NASCAR picks, but his snowboarding accident might have cost him the Cup Series Championship with how he’s driving. Elliott has seven top-ten finishes in the 11 races he’s raced in, including three consecutive top-five finishes.
Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson (+500) is ninth in the Drivers’ standings but has been impressive with two race wins and eight top-five finishes. However, Larson needs more consistent top-ten finishes to rise in our NASCAR Power Rankings.
NASCAR Cup Series: Power Rankings Top 5
Without further ado, here are Insidersbettingdigests’ NASCAR Power Rankings Top 5 Drivers!
# 1 – William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports
Regular readers are aware that Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron has impressed us all season long. It was a three-driver race for the top spot in our power rankings, but Byron’s three race wins, seven top-ten finishes in the last nine races, and ten top-ten finishes overall gave him a slight edge over the competition.
Byron has already won at Phoenix Raceway this season, the track set to host the Cup Series Championship Race. We think Byron will celebrate in Phoenix again, this time as Cup Series Champion.
# 2 – Martin Truex Jr. – Joe Gibbs Racing
Martin Truex Jr. is the current Championship leader, which is shocking considering he only had one top-ten finish in the first seven races. Since a seventh-place finish at Dover, Truex Jr. has two race wins and eight top-ten finishes in the last 11 races, shooting to the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
# 3 – Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell is currently fourth but led the Cup Series Championship for stretches this season. However, Bell has been consistent throughout the season, with one race win and ten top-ten finishes this season.
In fact, Bell might’ve topped our power rankings had he won in Chicago after winning the first two stages.
#4 – Kyle Busch – Richard Childress Racing
Kyle Busch has three race wins and eleven top-ten finishes this season, although his second-place at Cota and a fifth-place finish at Chicago were more Busch benefiting from circumstance and capitalizing on an opportunity.
However, Busch has finished in the top ten in the last six races and could continue the charge toward another Cup Series Championship.
#5 – Ross Chastain – Trackhouse Racing
Ross Chastain has one race win and eight top-ten finishes but needs more consistency in the second half of the season to win his first Cup Series Championship.
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